Part I: Home Economics in VS .NET

Generator QR Code 2d barcode in VS .NET Part I: Home Economics

purchase so long as you haven t owned a home for the past two years Tapping into a Roth IRA is a better deal because the withdrawal is free from income tax as long as the Roth account is at least five years old Although a standard IRA has no such time restriction, withdrawals are taxed as income, so you ll net only the after-tax amount of the withdrawal toward your down payment Because most of us have limited discretionary dollars, we must decide what our priorities are Saving for retirement and reducing your taxes are important, but when you re trying to save to purchase a home, some or most of your savings need to be outside a tax-sheltered retirement account Putting your retirement savings on the back burner for a short time to build up your down-payment cushion is okay Be careful, though, to purchase a home that offers enough slack in your budget to fund your retirement accounts after the purchase Do the budget exercise in Table 2-1, earlier in this chapter!

Wanting to have the financial resources to retire someday is hardly the only reason to save Most people have several competing reasons to squirrel away money Here are some other typical financial objectives or goals that motivate people (or should be motivating them) to save money We tell you how to fit each goal into your home-purchasing desires and your overall personal financial situation: Emergency reserve: Whether random bad things happen isn t so much the issue as when they happen You simply can t predict what impact a job loss, death in the family, accident, or unexpectedly large expense may have on you and your family That s why it s a good idea to have an easily accessible and safe reservoir of money that you can tap should the need arise Make sure that you have access to at least three months worth of expenses (if you have a highly unstable job and volatile income, perhaps even six months worth) Ideally, you should keep this money in a money market fund because such funds offer you both high yields and liquidity The major mutual fund companies (such as Vanguard, Fidelity, and T Rowe Price) offer money funds with competitive yields, check-writing privileges, and access to other good investments (See 3 to find out more about these funds and how you can use them for investing your down-payment money) Alternatively, a bank savings account can work, but it will likely offer a lower yield Should you have benevolent relatives who are willing to fork over some dough in a flash, they may serve as your emergency reserve as well

Educational expenses: If you have little cherubs at home, you want the best for them, and that typically includes a good college education So when the first cash gifts start rolling in from Grandma and Grandpa, many a new parent establishes an investment account in the child s name Your best intentions could come back to haunt you, however, when Junior applies to enter college All things being equal, the more you have available in your non-retirement accounts and in your child s name, the less financial aid your child will qualify for (By financial aid, we mean all types of assistance, including grants and loans that aren t based on need) Unless you re wealthy or are sure that you can afford to pay for the full cost of a college education for your kids, think long and hard before putting money in your child s name Although it may sound selfish, you actually do yourself and your child a financial favor by taking full advantage of opportunities to fund your retirement accounts Remember, too, that one of the advantages of being a homeowner is that you can borrow against your home s equity to help pay for your child s college expenses Startup business expenses: Another reason to save money is if you hope to start or purchase a business someday When you have sufficient equity in your home, you can borrow against that equity to fund the business But you may desire to accumulate a separate investment pool to fund your business No matter what your personal and financial goals are, you re likely going to need to save a decent amount of money to achieve them Consider what your goals are and how much you need to save to accomplish those goals, especially for retirement Get your finances in order before you decide how much you can really afford to spend on a home Otherwise, you may end up being a financial prisoner to your home